The 11th Annual Low Country Pickleball Classic in Hardeeville, SC presented by Novant Health & Optim Orthopedics will be held on April 24th (Women), 25th (Mixed), and 26th (Men), 2026. The tournament is hosted by the Sun City Hilton Head Pickleball Club.
The tournament is open to all Sun City Hilton Head residents and all non-residents 50 and older. Skill levels offered are 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5+.
Registration opens on February 17th at 8am, however, Sun City Pickleball Club members will receive an access code to pre-register beginning February 16th at 8am.
Format: All divisions will be round robin with most divisions having seven teams. Round robins will play one game to 15, win by 2, against each of the other teams. If more than seven teams enter a division, a waiting list will be created, and divisions may be combined or divided to maximize participation. Players are guaranteed a minimum of 4 matches in each division.
Age Groups: The age groups established for registration are tentative. The age groups may be adjusted after registration is closed to form events with the appropriate number of teams. There will be a maximum of seven teams per age group, and a waiting list will be utilized if more than seven teams enter an age group. Players may play down in younger age groups.
Start Times: Event start times will be 8:00 AM, 11:30 AM (plus or minus 30 minutes), 3:00 PM (plus or minus 30 minutes), or 6:30PM (plus or minus 30 minutes). An evening session is being added in 2026 to eliminate the use of the South Courts based on player feedback.
Shirts: All players registered and paid by March 1st will receive a tournament shirt if a size and style is selected with registration. If a shirt size and style is not selected with registration, the player is not guaranteed to receive a shirt.
Medals: Medals will be awarded to first, second, and third place teams in each event. An additional gift will be provided to first place winners.
Tournament Ball: Franklin X40 (tentative)
Ratings: The ratings used for registration will be DUPR Ratings, then self-rating. If you do not have a DUPR Rating (NR), please be sure that your self-rating is accurate. Please be sure that your DUPR account is connected to your Pickleball Brackets, you will not be able to register without a connected DUPR account. If a player plays in two events the difference in skill level between the two events can be no greater than 0.5. Tournament Director reserves the right to move players from events entered to events deemed more appropriate by their rating.
Photography: Please note that photos and videos will be taken during the event. If a photographer wishes to enter the court to take photos, both teams must agree that it would be acceptable.
Practice Courts: The North courts will be blocked off for open play for residents and tournament players from 12:00 to 10:00 PM on Thursday April 23. And the North courts will be available for open play for residents and tournament players after completion of tournament play each day.
Food: Water and snacks will be available for the players. A food truck will be available during lunch hours in the North courts parking lot each of the three days of the tournament. Also, the Argent Lakes restaurant (AL's) adjacent to the North courts will be open from noon to 8:00 PM on Friday and Saturday. (AL's is always closed on Sunday).
Thursday Night Low Country Boil: Please join us and help celebrate the 11th Annual Low Country Pickleball Classic in Hardeeville, presented in 2025 by Novant Health on Thursday April 23rd at 6pm in the Sun City Hilton Pavilion with a Low Country Boil and social event. The catered dinner from Toomer’s Bluffton Oyster Co. is a ticketed event for players, Sun City Pickleball Club members and guests with a cost of $25 per ticket which includes lots of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob, cornbread and soft drinks. There will be no cash bar and alcoholic beverages are BYOB. Tickets can be purchased with your tournament registration or by contacting Steve Lerner, Tournament Director and must be purchased by March 7th, there is a limit of 150 tickets available.
